The Partners in Denial
by ExcellentDriver
Summary: Booth and Brennan are back after spending one year apart. They try to keep things the way they were, but changes are inevitable. When they leave DC to work on a case, they have to face the feelings both wanted to hide. My take on Season 6. No Spoilers.
1. The Elephant in The Room

**I know there are already a lot of stories wondering how S6 will be like, but I'll start mine anyway. This one won't start with Booth and Brennan meeting at the coffee cart, there are already way too many and great ones about it.**

**As a lot of you already know, English is not my first language so I'm sorry about the typos and grammar mistakes you'll probably find here and there.**

**Disclaimer: No, Bones in not mine.**

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"_That's it_?" Angela couldn't look more disappointed.

"Yes." Brennan answered, leaning back on her chair and pretending not to care about the awkward encounter she'd had with her former partner the day before.

"You're telling me you've spent one whole freaking year apart and all you do when you meet is drink _coffee_?" Angela grimaced, pronouncing the last word like it was infected.

"That's correct." Brennan looked up at her friend, unaware of the surprise about how things went. "That's what we had agreed last year before we went away, Ange. Meeting at the reflecting pool to have coffee. I have no idea why you would think things would go differently."

"Are you kidding me, Brennan?" Angela's voice went one octave higher. "I was there at that airport when you were about to leave to that Indonesian jungle. I saw your faces. He wanted to grab you and never let you go and don't even try lying to me saying you didn't want to taste every inch of that damn hot body with your lips."

"Angela!" Brennan blushed.

"Like it wasn't obvious…" Angela smiled mischievously. "You don't need to be ashamed, sweetie, if I didn't have my own curly haired little piece of sin and Mr. FB-Eye candy hadn't been taken by my best friend, I would have been down to his feet long ago…"

"Booth is not taken by me."

"Yeah, right." Angela said sarcastically. "Though, it really surprises me he didn't run and took you in his arms and kissed you till both of you were out of breath. I was so sure about it." The forensic artist frowned. She couldn't believe she lost the bet she'd made with Hodgins.

Brennan creased her forehead and opened and closed her mouth without saying anything.

"Angela, I think you spent way too much time in Paris and watching fantasy romantic motion pictures." She finally said. "Booth and I are back together as partners like we promised we would be when we got back. We were never a couple and we'll never be."

She didn't understand why her stomach felt ill when those words came out of her mouth. Brennan had to admit the first weeks in Indonesia were rather difficult. Since one of her objectives when she accepted the invitation was to take a break away from Booth to think about what their relationship really meant, she decided it would be better if they didn't make any contact over that year apart. Of course it hadn't been easy. They spent almost every day together for the past five years, he was the person she would tell everything and the one she would ask for advices. But the pain in her heart became lighter while time was passing, the hard work and the new findings were keeping her mind busy, which was very helpful, and in the end of the year, that fear and desperation weren't as bad anymore. She couldn't be happier to finally meet her best friend again and start doing what they do best, but what she really realized over that year was that she didn't want to live her life without him. Maybe she couldn't love him the way he deserved to be loved, but she'd been a good friend and a great partner and to her, that was enough. If that meant that was how they were supposed to be, then, that would be what they would be: partners and friends. Jeopardizing the most stable relationship in her life turning it into a probably failed romance was the last thing she wanted.

"Sweetie, there's this clever saying that says 'never say never' which I take as a motto in my life." Angela winked. "So, at least you two are really back as partners?"

"Hmm-um." Brennan nodded. "Though, we have an appointment with Sweets today. Seems like the FBI want to be sure we are ready to get back at the field. I don't really see the reasoning of that. Booth and I were the best they had, they shouldn't doubt our capacities."

"I'm sure they are just following protocol, Brennan." Angela could feel the fear in her friend's voice. The FBI better don't even _think_ about breaking those two apart, because that would start a revolution no one was ready to see.

"I hope so." Brennan said not so sure. "Booth will pick me up in one hour and we'll see Sweets."

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"Dr. Brennan! Agent Booth!" Sweets couldn't hide his happiness to have their favorite patients back. "I'm glad you guys are back."

"Hey, there, Sweets." Booth greeted him gleefully. "I bet you missed us like hell. Did you cry at your sleep and kept a little calendar over your bed so you could count the days till we come back?"

"Very funny, Agent Booth." Sweets laughed sarcarstically. He was glad to see that things didn't change that much in the last year. "But yes, I did miss you."

"_I knew it_." Booth whispered to Brennan with a smirk and poked her lightly with his elbow. Even though their encounter at the reflection pool had been a little awkward, Brennan was glad to see things were almost normal today. She thought that it probably would be easier for them to act like they were before at the work environment other than at their private lives.

"You look very beautiful, Dr. Brennan." Sweets commented, eyeing her up and down, which made him receive a deadly glare from Booth. "Very tanned, I noticed you lost weight and that haircut is very modern and fresh. I can see the trip did really good to you."

"Since when do you know which kind of haircut is _in_, Sweets?" Booth teased. "Had you been watching '_What not to Wear_' while we were away?"

Sweets blushed with the comment. That was what he got for trying to be nice.

"Thank you for the compliment, Dr. Sweets." Brennan said before Booth could keep teasing the poor kid. "Yes, the trip to Indonesia was quite productive. Our findings will have incredible value for future researches and my fellow co-workers and I are going to receive a lot of recognition." She smiled, thankfully for the trip actually having a good out come and being worth spending the whole year away. "I had to spend many hours out in the sun and even though I would always wear sunscreen-" She looked at Booth when she said that. He told her a million times before she went on the trip that she should be careful with her skin, she was very pale and the heat in the Maluku Islands was very strong. "-I ended up getting tanned. I have to admit I enjoyed it, but it'll likely start to fade now that I'm back to DC. The shorter haircut was easier to keep on the island."

"And how was your trip, Agent Booth?" Sweets asked as they sat in the familiar seats in the office at the Hoover's building. "I suppose it was also a very life changing experience."

"Nah, it wasn't as cool as Bones' was, I mean, it's not like we changed the world or anything."

"You were helping to keep the country safe, Booth. That's something very important." Brennan said.

"Yeah, but I wasn't really on the field or fighting on the battles, I was just in the base training the soldiers." Both the psychologist and the anthropologist noticed the sadness in his voice. They didn't need to ask to know he had lost some of his pupils. In a war zone, losses weren't something they could completely avoid. They were part of it. "Not that I have complaints about it, the last thing I wanted was go back to the battles." He sighed. "I'm glad to be back."

"Was it very hard?" Brennan couldn't help asking.

"It's never easy, Bones." He turned his head to look at her. "You look at those boys, some barely twenty years old and already having to risk their lives every day for something that really didn't have to exist. I'm not talking just about our boys, but everyone who has to go there and do what they have to do because of their countries or beliefs. Taking someone else's life, being hunger while out on a mission, feeling cold, seeing the poverty and the crap life those people have to live…" Booth sighed. "I didn't have to live all that again, but it doesn't mean I didn't feel it all while looking at each one of those guy's face. So, yes, it was very hard."

"I'm sorry about that." She said sincerely.

"Yeah… but I don't regret going, you know? It made me get a new perspective of everything." He said, Sweets looking at them carefully while the partners talked. "We thought that war would be over long ago and it just passed the Vietnam's as the longest war outside the country we've ever been. I just wished it was over already."

"Some people come back very damaged after spending a lot of time in a war zone, do you think you're ready to come back to work, Agent Booth?" Sweets asked. "I'm certain the FBI wouldn't have-"

"_Damaged?_" Booth spat. "I'm not damaged, Sweets! Just because I've been a year in Afghanistan it doesn't mean I can't compartmentalize things. I know how horrible what happens there is, but I'm also aware of the fact that I did my best to make things better, so no, I'm not damaged and I'm perfectly ready to start catching bad guys again."

"_Calm down, Booth_." Brennan whispered to her partner. "Sweets might take your attitude as evidence you're not ready to come back."

"What? He wouldn't do that!" He joined his eyebrows and stared at him. "Would you, Sweets?"

"Not unless you gave me reasons to do that…" The psychologist said. Not that it was easy to keep his calm while the big agent looked at him with those threatening eyes.

"And as far as I know, I did not give you any reason." Booth crocked a smile.

"Yeah… right." Sweets leaned on his chair uncomfortably. "So, about the other… things on your relationship, do you think you'll be able to keep your partnership?"

"What is he talking about?" Brennan asked Booth.

"You both know pretty well your reasons to fly to different countries last year weren't only work related." Sweets stared at the two partners. Brennan bit her lower lip and focused her eyes on the window and the bad weather outside while Booth looked at the younger man thinking about what to say.

"We're fine, Sweets." Booth finally said. "Booth and Bones, the terror of the creepy killers, are back, better and stronger than ever, aren't we, Bones?"

"Yeah, of course." Brennan quickly agreed.

Sweets looked at Booth, then at Brennan and at Booth again.

After thinking for a minute, only one word escaped his lips. "Okay."

"Okay?" Booth raised one eyebrow.

"You can keep your partnership."

"Of course we'll keep our partnership, how on Ear-"

"But you'll have to keep having sessions once a week with me to make sure both of you don't have any issues."

"_Why_?" Brennan whimpered. "I thought we both assured you we were fine!"

"Protocol, Bones." Booth exhaled slowly. He wasn't very happy about it either, but if they wanted to continue being partners, they would have to do it.

"Fine." Brennan rolled her eyes. "So, when we'll start working?"

Booth felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and showed it to Brennan before answering.

"Is 'right now' good for you?"

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	2. The Curiosity in The Car

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"You okay, Booth?" Brennan asked while observing the corpse in front of her. The body was found on the shore of a river in a town near DC.

"Yeah." Booth answered. "Why are you asking?"

"You're quiet." She stated simply and turned her head to look at him. "Usually you would be standing right behind me and annoy me, poking my arms and asking every minute what did I find, but today you are oddly calm."

"I thought you didn't like me bothering you while you were studying the remains, Bones." Booth's lips curved up a little.

"I don't." She said turning back to the remains and shoving her finger in the ocular cavity on the skull, making Booth grimace with disgust. It's been a while since he saw a decomposing corpse, it would take a little bit to get used to those gross remains again. "I just thought it was unusual and, as a friend and your partner, I presumed it would be nice to ask if there was something bothering you."

"Thank you, Bones." Booth said and took a step forward and tried to peek over her shoulders. There was a reason why he was keeping a little distance between them. In that year they spent apart, he was able to put his feeling for his partners to rest or, at least, he was able to put them to sleep. Thinking about her and her rejection of his love didn't hurt that much anymore. He even found a nice woman and they were going out occasionally. But since he met Brennan again, it'd been very hard to not allow those unwise feeling to burn inside his body again. Hell, it was not fair all that woman could do to him. She wasn't even trying to seduce him or anything, she was just being the professional old Brennan, wearing her Jeffersonian suit, gum boots, her hair up in a ponytail and God helped him, he never thought she looked more adorable. "So… what did you find?"

"Our victim is male." Brennan squinted and checked the victim's ribs. "Around 20 and 25 years old. There are some recent marks on the ribs and on the right humerus, but I can't tell you exactly what the cause of death was." She picked the radius. "There's an old fracture on the wrist, probably when he was around 7 or 8 years old and fell of a bike. I need the remains sent back to the Jeffersonian."

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"Are you seeing anyone?" Brennan asked out of the blue on their drive back to the DC.

"Whoa." Booth exclaimed almost hitting another car after hearing her question. "Right to the point there, right, Bones?"

"I sense awkwardness between us. It's natural after all the events from last year and the following year we took apart. I figured starting a small talk would be a good way to easy the discomfort between us and consequently help us be back to what we were before." Brennan explained in her professor's tone.

"You _sense _awkwardness?" Booth chuckled.

"Yes." She nodded and looked at him. "Like I said earlier at the crime scene, you've been strangely reticent. You didn't even open your mouth since we entered the road."

"I was just keeping my eyes on the traffic."

"And you can't drive and speak at the same time?" She arched an eyebrow. "I didn't know your driving skills receded, Booth. If you don't feel comfortable behind the wheel, you could have asked me to drive. You know I'm an excellent driver."

"What?" He turned his head to look at her. "I'm driving as well as I've always did. _Even better_. I just-" He stared back at the road. "Never mind."

"You didn't answer my question." Brennan said, not looking at him. "You are?"

"I'm what, Bones?" He rolled his eyes, suddenly annoyed.

"Seeing anyone."

"Casually." He answered after thinking for a while. "It's been a little hard to work out our hours since we came back to DC." Was he seeing things or did Brennan just clench her jaw? "You?"

Booth didn't really want to know, but given the circumstances, he thought it would be polite to ask. Not that he was curious or anything. _He wasn't_. Of course he wasn't. Why would he be?

"Well, a geologist has been asking me out, so I'm thinking of saying yes." She said looking out of the window. Dr. Alexander Quinn was a smart and good looking geologist and they've became friends during their work in the Maluku Island, though, since the beginning Brennan suspected he wanted them to be more than friends. He was polite and pleasant, they shared a lot of nice conversations, but Brennan just wasn't interested in turning their relationship in something more. Since they came back to Washington, though, Dr. Quinn had been asking her out to dinner almost every day and she was very close to give in and accept it. It's been a while since she had a male partner to release her biological urges.

"Hmm." Booth nodded and the silence filled the car again.

Annoyed by it, Brennan reached her hand and turned the radio on.

"You've been going out for a long time?" She couldn't help asking. _Curiosity, just curiosity._

"Me and Linda?" He was surprised by her question.

"Yes." So… her name was Linda. She betted she was blonde, tall and had very long legs. _Booth's type. _Not that she mind. She didn't. Why would she?

She was happy he had met someone. Wasn't that how good friends should feel when their friends found someone they care?

"We've met in Afghanistan. She was responsible for the ambulatory station on the base. She's a doctor." He told her.

"Medicinae Doctor, I suppose." Brennan said dryly. Why did that bother her?

"Yeah, a cardiologist." He nodded. "We've been going out for about four months. She's nice."

"Good." Brennan chewed her cheeks. She hoped her voice didn't sound as fake to him as it did to her. "I'm glad you found someone. You've been unattended for quite a while since you broke up with Cam. The only other woman I recall you going out with was Catherine, and I don't think you were out in more than a couple of dates." Not that it was any of her business, but something in Catherine just wasn't right, in Brennan's opinion. Somehow, she couldn't make herself like the marine biologist. "I'm certain a man like you and with your stamina have a lot of biological urges to release."

"Whoa, Bones." _She didn't change that much in the last year, did she? _"Can't we just… change the subject, please?"

"Of course, if that doesn't make you comfortable, although, it's completely natural that-" She put on her squinty tone and Booth decided to stop before it went further.

"So, you're finally getting your Nobel prize after your findings in Indonesia?" Booth teased and took that as an opportunity to drop the whole relationship conversation.

"The Nobel prize can't be share among more than three people, Booth. And although I was the head of forensic anthropology, there were four more people responsible for the research during the expedition, so, we can't be nominated." Brennan explained.

"That's a pity." He pouted. "I thought I would have a nice excuse to go on a trip to Sweden and wear my fanciest suit and bow tie to see my old pal Bones receive the prize and make a _heartcrushing_ speech about how her partnership with an amazing FBI special agent changed her views of the world and how none of that would have happened if it wasn't for her incredible partner, Seeley Booth. Then the camera would make a close up of my face and I would be shown in the big screen. I would smile and blush, feeling honored to be reminded in such an important moment. You would be wearing a gorgeous dress that would make you glow even more and-" He stopped. What the hell was he saying? It started as a joke and somehow he was making it as something that would really happen. Even if Brennan was indeed nominated and won, she probably wouldn't take him to the ceremony. She was much more likely to take the damn geologist he already didn't like, even if they didn't meet yet. The guy was a _geologist _for God's sake, he was probably annoying as hell. Well, he studied rocks. How boring that must be?

He scowled with the thought of Brennan and her Rocky Guy looking all dressed up at the party in Sweden.

Brennan couldn't help smiling.

"It's true." She admitted shyly after a moment of silence. "I _did _change after all those years working with you."

"You did?" He creased his forehead. "I thought that you, as a scientist, couldn't change. Wasn't that what you said?"

"As a scientist, I believe in what I can see, in what I can prove." She sighed. "I base my beliefs in logic, it's not reasonable to let my emotions flow and take over my brain. They are just chemical reactions." She bit her lower lip and looked up at the car ceiling. "But I would have to be a hypocrite if I said I didn't change since I've met you. You gave me proofs that things I didn't thought were real actually existed. And that letting my heart drive sometimes is necessary."

"I did?" Booth asked surprised.

"Yeah." She agreed with a sad whisper and let that chat drop. The conversation was taking a course none of them wanted to take yet.

"Here we are." Booth said parking in front of her building. "I probably won't see you tomorrow, unless you have an update on the case."

"It will be unlikely to get ID before the day after tomorrow given the state of the remains." Brennan informed.

"Then I guess I'll only see you on Wednesday." Booth informed. "I have a lot of paperwork to do and old files to revise in the FBI."

"That's too bad." Brennan murmured, mostly to herself. "Night, Booth."

"I'm glad that you think so." He murmured back when she was already gone, a tiny grin dancing on his face. "Good night, Bones."

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**So… are you with me here?**

**I promise this is going somewhere…**

**Starting a new multi-chapter story is not easy, especially after finishing a long one… I would be so, so happy if you left me a review after reading… please? _Pretty please_? *puppy dog face***


	3. The Annoyance in the Anthropologist

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"So, it was really her. How could a woman kill her own brother?"Booth shared his thoughts with Brennan on Wednesday, right after they got the confession out of the murderer. They were now sitting at his office at the Hoover's building, after the bustling day. Brennan called him early in the morning saying they identified the victim _and _the person's whose blood found on the clothes belonged to.

"Yes, Cam found samples of blood that proved the relation to the victim. After we showed her the proofs, there wasn't really anything she would do other than confess what she's done." Brennan nodded. "I guess she thought she would receive all the patrimony from their parents if her brother was out of picture…"

"The things people do for money…" Booth frowned. "I think it will never end, will it?"

"Anthropologically speaking, crimes between family members have been occurring since the beginning of the days. During the middle age, it wasn't rare to the older son of a monarch to be murdered by their younger brothers willing to be the ones to receive the powers that came with being the eldest."

"That's disgusting." Booth wrinkled his nose. "I mean, that's just money."

"For some people, money is the all that matters, it's their only reason to live." Brennan explained. She never really understood that reasoning. She herself had more money than she needed, if she wanted, she could stop working right now and just enjoy everything money could buy. But like Booth told her once, the best things in life couldn't be bought. Just the idea of a superficial life made her cringe. Why would she want a huge house plus three vacation ones? She was a single woman with no children, her apartment was more than enough for her – and it wasn't exactly like she spent a lot of time in it. If she wanted to travel, she could stay at a hotel. Also, taking vacation trips alone wasn't really that nice. Brennan had no doubts she would be bored to death a week after she had stopped working. Leaving her job to a futile life would make her feel immensely selfish. She was lucky to be born with a higher intelligence and have amazing skills with bones. Being able to help so many people with that and finding answers still unanswered with her work gave her much more pleasure than anything she could possibly buy with her platinum credit card. "Though, it still bothers me how someone could want to live such a shallow life."

"Well, she'll have a lot of time to think about her life now that she'll spend a few decades in jail." Booth said.

Brennan nodded and pulled up her sleeves a little to check the hours. It was almost eight pm already. The day went by so fast, with all the catching and arresting of Sibila Simmons, they didn't have time to stop and eat an actual meal.

"Do you want to go to the diner and get something to eat?" She asked. It was funny. Usually_ he_ would be the one dragging them out to the restaurant.

Booth looked down shyly before looking at his partner.

"I have an appointment." He told her, a hint of guilty in his voice, even though he couldn't explain why it was there in the first place. It wasn't like he was doing something wrong. "Sorry."

"Oh." Brennan faltered and felt a knot on her stomach. Since they started working together, there were very few nights where they wouldn't go out and have dinner or maybe a couple of drinks after solving a case. That was one of the things she missed the most while she was in Indonesia. Now that they were back after their sabbatical year, she was looking forward to celebrate their first success after the return, even if it had been a very easy case. "That's okay, I'll just get a takeout and go home finish the paperwork."

"You don't have to do all the paperwork tonight, Bones, we can do it tomorrow." He said, now wishing he hadn't promised Linda to meet her after his shift was over. _What? No, Booth, you don't have to feel guilty, and most importantly, you don't have to spoil another good relationship because of your stupid feelings for your partner. You took your chance with her and she turned you down. Move on. You were doing a good job at it. You _are_ doing a good job at it. Don't give in._

"I don't mind. I finished my latest book and don't really have anything to do tonight. Besides, I have countless remains to identify, it would be a waste to leave the paperwork for tomorrow when I can easily do them today." Brennan said. Also, working was the best way she knew to keep her mind busy and away from irrational silly thoughts. She knew she would be thinking what Booth and Linda – she had no doubts his 'appointment' was with the cardiologist, and she was very certain it have _nothing_ to do with medical consults – would be doing, despite her knowledgement that whatever they were doing was none of her business.

"Come on, Bones, can't you just turn off Dr. Brennan for a couple of hours and just be Temperance and rest a little? Maybe watch a movie, read a fluffy book?" He suggested.

"What I do with my free time is none of your concern." She huffed, suddenly annoyed. Picking her big purse from the chair in his office and walking towards the door, she turned to him one more time before leaving. "I hope you have a good time with your appointment. Good night, Booth."

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"Hey there, Bones." Booth walked up to the platform taking two steps at a time and greeted his partner too cheerful in her opinion.

"Hi, Booth." She said back dryly, not bothering to take her eyes away from the remains to look at him. She was still mad at him, even if it was completely irrational and she had no reasons to. He had all the rights to go out with his girlfriend instead of with her to celebrate closing the case. Just because it was a routine before it didn't mean things still had to be that way. "_Things have to change._" Wasn't it what he said when she told him about her trip to Indonesia? He was right. Things changed. Booth didn't have a girlfriend back then. Now he did. He wanted a family, a wife who would be with him for the rest of his life, a house full of kids. It was stupid of her to think they would remain the same. "The papers are in my office." She told him.

"I didn't come here to get the papers from the other case." He explained.

"You didn't?" She finally raised her read to look at him. He looked handsome and vivacious and she hated him because of that. She barely had three hours of sleep the previous night and even though he probably also spent the night awake having intercourse with his blonde girlfriend, he still looked more beautiful than ever. _Not fair._

"_Nope_." He said taking a step closer to her. "Go back to your place and pack a few clothes. I'll pick you up in one hour."

"_Wha-_?" Brennan closed her eyes for a second and shook her head trying to get what he was saying. Did she miss something? "Why on Earth would a do that?" Also, she hated when he went all mandatory.

"Because a body was found in the border between Florida and Georgia, meaning it's a case to the FBI." Booth shared with her. "So, you better hurry. Our plane takes off in less than three hours."

"I can't just drop everything I'm doing here and take a plane to Florida!" Brennan snapped. "Do you have any idea of how many remains to be identified were accumulated in the past year while I was at the Maluku Islands?"

"No, I don't." He said seriously. "But I'm sure they can wait one more couple of days."

"I'm sorry, Booth, I can't." She shook her head 'no'. "We've been back for less than a week, how can they possibly send us down to Florida?"

"Because we are the best and you are the only forensic anthropologist working with the FBI, and, from what I've heard, the remains are in terrible condition."

Brennan closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

"I don't really have any say on this, do I?" She said and he agreed. "I just wish they would give us a little more time before sending us across the country. I had a date tonight with Dr. Quinn."

Booth clenched his fist. "Well, then you'll have to tell Rocky he'll have to wait another week."

"But you told me it would only be a couple of days!"

"You never know, Bones, maybe it will take longer than we expect." He shrugged; suddenly wishing the case would really take longer.

"And his name is not Rocky." She added annoyed. "It's Alexander."

"Whatever." Booth rolled his eyes. "Now, get out of this blue coat and go home." He started taking off her coat like he did many times before when he needed to get her out of the lab to take her to a crime scene or a suspect's interrogation.

"Booth, stop." Brennan turned away, releasing herself from his hands. "I can take off my coat myself." She spat.

"Hey, guys, as much as I think it's _so _hot that you are so horny towards each other that you can't even wait till you are in a private room to take off your clothes, I don't think the autopsy platform is the proper place to do it." Angela said stepping up the platform with the sketch of the latest remains Brennan had asked her to do. "Though, I have to admit, I have wondered how it would be like to have sex in one of those tables." She added in a lower tone.

"Angela!" Brennan cried chocked. "We are _not_ horny towards each other."

"_Sex on the autopsy table_?" Booth wrinkled his nose disgusted. "Seriously, Angela? There were some very gross corpses in there."

"Well, it only makes it more exciting." Angela shouldered. "Sweetie, here's the sketch you asked me."

"Thanks, Ange." Brennan said. "Can you leave them at my office please? I have to go home now and pack."

"Pack?" The forensic artist arched one eyebrow.

"Yep, we've got a case in Florida and Bones and I have to get there as soon as possible." Booth grabbed Brennan's shoulders and started pushing her out of the platform. "Come on, Bones, we can't be late."

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**Don't you love when they have to take a trip to work on a case? Because I totally do!**

**Los Angeles, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Circus... =D**

**Oh! And if you want to see Booth shitless in the following chapters due to the heat of Florida, don't forget to review! ;)**


	4. The Tension in the Plane

**Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts! :) Though, it made me sad that last chapter got so few reviews. Is the story that bad that it doesn't deserve them or people are just not reading it? ****=(**

**Because it's very frustrating when you write and receive almost no feedback. =/**

**I hope you like this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it!

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"They make us leave all our life in DC behind whenever they think it's appropriated for them and they can't even send us in a decent plane?" Brennan complained on her seat.

"The government doesn't pay first class seats for agents, Bones." Booth reminded her. "Besides, this is a domestic flight. It doesn't_ have_ first class."

"That's ridiculous. We should be treated better." She tried to lean down her seat but it just reclined an inch. "I think my seat is broken."

"It's not broken."

"I guess it is. It isn't reclining." She showed him.

"That's how the seats are." He rolled his eyes. "Welcome to coach, Bones."

"They can't possibly be like this! I can barely move my head in this thing!" She whined.

"Jeez, Bones, it's only a three hours flight! You'll survive." Trying to ignore his grumpy partner, Booth put the earphones on and started listening to a random station.

"Can we exchange places?" She poked his arms two minutes after.

"No." He answered, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Why not?" Brennan whimpered and he couldn't help thinking she sounded just like Parker when he asked him something and he said 'no'.

"Because." He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to look at her. "I'm bigger than you and I need more space. I don't like flying on the window seat."

"I'm quite tall too." She tried. She couldn't even move her legs. She quit the idea of trying a better position when she hit her knee in the front seat.

"Yes, but I'm taller." He leaned his head back to his seat and closed his eyes again. "Now, do you mind staying quiet for a while, Bones? I'm trying to sleep here."

She frowned and crossed her arms stubbornly. It would be a very long flight. She tried to read a book but it was very uncomfortable. Having to hold her coat on her lap and her bag above it in case she needed to get something (she couldn't keep it in the overhead bin because she would have to jump over Booth to get it), leaving her no space to actually _hold_ the book.

Thirty minutes after frustrated trials to distract herself, Brennan stared at her partner, who was sleeping peacefully next to her. Behind her, she could hear the snores of an old man, obviously also asleep. _How could those people sleep in such an uncomfortable position? _

Annoyed and starting to feel suffocated in her seat,she decided to walk around for a while, stretch her legs and go to the bathroom. Turning her head and looking at her sleeping partner, she tried to calculate the distance she would have to jump to get at the aisle without waking him up.

Thanking herself for all the years she spent doing stretching at her yoga classes, she put one foot at her own seat and took an impulse to get to the aisle, failing completely and falling flat on Booth's lap, her legs spread across his.

"Ouch!" Booth opened his eyes startled and found his partner's face three inches away from his, her hands lying on his chest, too close to his bare skin to be considered appropriated. He had taken off his tie and opened the first bottoms to be more comfortable during the flight. He wasn't expecting Bones' hand to end up there. Not that he didn't like her touch. That was the problem. He liked it _way too much_. "Bones! What the hell are you doing?"

"Sorry." She bit her lower lip embarrassed, taking her hands off his chest and clenching her fists on Booth's armrest trying to regain balance. She didn't want to think too much about what would happen if her arms accidentally left the armrest. "I just need to go to the bathroom."

"And you have to attack me to get there?" He raised one eyebrow confused, hating her for being so cute when she was embarrassed.

"I wasn't attacking you, I was trying to jump over you, but I guess my calculus about the distance was erroneous." She explained shyly.

"Couldn't you poke me and use that old little phrase your mom taught you? Remember? 'Excuse me'?" He mumbled, trying to not get all the attention to them. Brennan wasn't the only one bored at that plane and God knew curiosity was part of the human beings.

"I didn't want to wake you up. I imagine it's quite hard to fall asleep in these very uncomfortable seats." She looked down, not realizing it just brought their faces closer.

Booth swallowed hard. She was so beautiful. He noticed that her new bangs made her eyes look even bluer and had to take all his strength to not reach his hands and touch her hair. His heart started beating faster on his chest. Was she doing that on purpose? Why was she still on his lap? He almost grabbed her waist to keep her balance, but thankfully he remembered that it the woman sitting in his lap was none other than his partner. Why on Earth Bones couldn't be the old, wrinkly, annoying woman he thought she would be when they first met? Yeah, she annoyed him, but that just made him like her even more. He loved their bickering.

Brennan finally realized her comfortable seat wasn't exactly a seat and when she raised her eyes to look at her partner's face, he was gazing deeply at her, completely lost in his thought. Or was he completely lost on _her_? Unable to break their gaze, she caught herself suddenly wondering how it would be like to taste his lips once again. _They were so close… _

"Bones?" Booth murmured, finally finding his voice.

"Yeah?" She murmured back, her breathe touching his face. He sucked in a breath._ She wanted to kill him_, he thought. She surely did. There was no other explanation. That woman loved to torture him.

"Didn't you have to go to the bathroom?" He asked, proud of himself for being able to pronounce a full sentence.

"Oh." She straightened up on his lap and he had to hold back a groan. "Yeah. I'll just… I mean… the bathroom-" She pointed at the door down the aisle.

Bringing her weight to her right side, she climbed off him and walked away to go to the bathroom, inhaling and exhaling the way she learnt at yoga trying to regain her calm.

_What the hell just happened there?_

_._

_._

"My back is aching." She groaned when they walked out the gate in the airport. An FBI agent would be waiting with a car to take them to the crime scene.

"_Your _back is aching?" Booth let out a laugh. "Imagine how mine is after having to stand still for two hours because my_ partner_ used _my _shoulder as a pillow."

When she came back from the bathroom, she finally found a good position to fall asleep, it just happened to be leaning on Booth's body. She was embarrassed when she woke up and realized where she was, but it wasn't like he did anything to take her out of there.

"You could have woken me up and asked me to lean somewhere else if that bothered you that much." She grouched.

"Oh yeah, and then have to stand you complaining about every single thing in the flight? No, thank you very much, I prefer the backache."

"It's not my fault those seats are the size of a fingernail!" Brennan defended herself and tried to found the exit where they were supposed to meet the FBI agent.

"Wow, look at that! Bones used a figure of speech!" Booth teased.

"I'm not as clueless as you think, Booth." Brennan said offended. "I do know figures of speech, I just don't see why we should use them that much. They can mislead a conversation."

Booth was typing at his cell phone and ignored her. Brennan tilted her head a little to try to see what he was doing.

"Who are you messaging? The FBI agent we are supposed to meet?" She asked.

"No, I'm just sending Linda a message telling we arrived here. You know, she's kind of scared of airplanes." Booth told his partner. Messaging Linda meant he didn't have to call her to tell he arrived fine. A call would lead to a long chat he wasn't really in the mood to have.

"The chances of you dying in a car crash while working in DC are much higher than in a plane accident." Brennan informed him, suddenly very bitter.

"Whoa, Bones." He chuckled.

"It's just a fact." She shrugged. "I'm thirsty; can we go there and buy a bottle of water while we wait for the agent?"

"You're thirsty because you didn't want to buy that bottle of water in the plane." Booth said.

"It was an absurd! They make people pay to fly in an inhuman position, possibly compromising their health and they have the nerve to charge five dollars for a bottle of water?" She burst. It still annoyed her.

"I offered to buy for you, but you didn't let me." He laughed. "Though, I didn't know that stingy side of you, Bones…"

"You know it wasn't about money." They rolled her eyes and sat on a free table. "I'm very wealthy, but that doesn't mean I'll spend my money in ludicrous things. I know the value of it. When I was sixteen, I would be hungry for the entire day because my foster parents would give me money for lunch, and I had to work very hard to earn five bucks. So, no, I'll not pay five dollars for a bottle of water so the airplane company who makes us fly in those conditions gets even more profit. When you pay for it, you are being condescending with the situation. I will _not _be the one to encourage that."

"Sorry, Bones." Booth said. "I was just teasing. It wasn't my intention to offend you."

She nodded accepting his apology and drank the liquid the waitress brought. Five minutes later, an agent approached them.

"Dr. Brennan? Agent Booth?" The tall blonde man asked and Booth and Brennan nodded. "I'm Agent Smith. I'm sorry." He said. "I was supposed to pick you up here and drive you to the crime scene, but my car broke this morning and I had to borrow my wife's. It's only two seats so you can take it and I'll meet you there later, the cops are already waiting for you."

"It's okay, Agent Smith." Booth said. "Do you have the address?"

"Yes, and there's a GPS in the car, you'll have no problem to get there." The agent informed. "It's parked on the second garage, spot 452."

Booth and Brennan thanked the agent and walked to the parking lot. A bright red Smartt was parked on spot 452.

Brennan's face was so shocked that Booth couldn't help but laugh.

"_You have got to be kidding me_!"

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**Oh... the wonders of flying coach... I could spend the whole day telling all the stories I've already witnessed in planes... LOL**

**Once I was lucky enough to have my flight cancelled and after a lot of fight and complaining, the company put me in a plane in a first class seat. So good! hehe**

**The way back though, I ended up in the worst seat ever! Guess you can't have it all, right? ;)**

**I don't know how much they charge for the things in the short flights in US, but I know in Europe they are a rip off.**

**Pleaaaaase, make my crap day a lot brighter clicking that little blue bottom there and telling me what you think? :) **


	5. The Teacher on the Road

**The sides are out! *squees***.

**OMG, I just c.a.n'.t w.a.i.t. for Bones to come back!**

**But don't worry, I won't talk about the sides here...**

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"I swear I'll never be able to walk again after today." Booth moaned behind the wheel of the Smartt. "First the plane, now this toy-car. I'll end up in a wheelchair in the end of this case. "

"If you had let me drive, you would have a little more space." Brennan reminded him, stretching on the passenger's seat. They'd been driving for the past forty minutes and she had to admit it was quite funny to see Booth driving that car. He looked like one of those big kids who wanted to fit on their little siblings' strollers but completely failed. "It won't do any good to your back. If you weren't so stubborn…"

"We're almost there, Bones, okay?" He said and glanced at her. "Maybe… _maybe_ if you are nice, I can let you drive on our way back."

"Really?" She asked with a mix of joy and doubt.

"Yeah, but only if they don't bring the SUV before we finish our work there." He saw the smirk on her face. "And don't even think about praying for the SUV to not arrive there in time. It won't work. Besides, I don't think you also like this little box."

"What?" Brennan grimaced. "I was not- I do _not _pray, Booth."

"Pray, wish, imagine, hope… whatever, Bones. Not gonna work." He clicked his tongue and started slowing down the speed as they were approaching the area covered by the police. "We are here."

Booth parked the car in a shorter time than he ever parked any other car. At least that little thing had one quality.

"Jeez, they could have warned us it would a goopy place." He complained when he stepped on the muddy earth. "Those shoes were brand new." He frowned when he look at his feet, his shoes completely covered by mud.

"Where the hell did you get those gum boots from?" Brennan was still sitting on her seat, putting on a pair of black gum boots calmly.

"My luggage." She answered not wasting time looking at him.

"But- How-" He looked at the tiny luggage that now was being used as a feet rest under Brennan's seat. "How did those things fit on _that_?"

"I've been traveling for a long time, Booth, I learnt a lot with that, especially about packing. Gum boots are always necessary in my work and yes, they are quite big, but I can save space filling them with clothes or anything I need to bring." She explained and climbed of the car. "Where's the body?" She asked as one of the cops approached them.

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth." He greeted the partners. "Aaron McNeal, follow me."

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"Female, late 30's or early 40's." Brennan was bent down checking the body. "Probably dead for around twenty days, Hodgins we'll be able to give us a more specific date. I can't tell much more because there's still a lot of flesh. We need to send these remains back to the Jeffersonian."

"That's it?" Booth frowned.

"Yes. I don't think there's a lab here with the quality of the Jeffersonian." Brennan said. "When we'll be able to come back to DC?"

"We can't come back to DC now." Booth informed her.

"What do you mean with 'we can't come back now'?" Brennan knitted her eyebrows.

"The body was found in here, we have an investigation to lead. It's our duty to stay here for at least the next 48 hours making sure all the evidences were taken and trying to figure out what happened."

"Well, that's your job, not mine." Brennan shrugged. "I need to go back to the lab."

"Jeez, Bones! You're my partner!" Booth said annoyed. Why was she being so difficult since they came back? "Don't you want to still work with me?"

"Of course I do!" She answered quickly.

"Then why the hell are you acting so edgy lately?" He spat. "For years you didn't complain about working outside DC anymore, in fact, you even enjoyed when we had to travel somewhere."

"I'm not acting edgy." She turned her back to him. "I just don't think it's a good use of my time to stay here when I could be helping with the investigation in the lab. I don't believe there's much we can do without an ID of the body."

"Two days, Bones, two days." Booth closed his eyes and sighed. "That's all I'm asking. If the squints can't figure out whose body that is by the end of those days, we'll come back."

Brennan looked at him for a little while before nodding her head. "_Fine_."

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"Her name was Eliza Pennington, she was 39 years-old." Angela told Brennan in a conference call later the next day. "She taught Ancient History at Jacksonville University. She was reported missing five days ago after her maid couldn't locate her to get her paycheck and found out she didn't go to the University for the past weeks. Hodgins estimates time of death being 22 days ago. Cam is working with the flesh now. Oh, and don't worry, Wendell is snooping around and asking her every half an hour when he can get the bones. You taught him well, Sweetie."

"I didn't teach him that." Brennan frowned.

"Right." Angela let out a laugh sarcastically. "So, how is Florida? Did you already put on that tiny bikini I told you to buy and went to a dive in the ocean with that hot partner of yours?"

"I'm here to work, Angela, not on a vacation." Brennan admonished. "Besides, we are in Statenville, there are no beaches in here."

"But you'll have to go to Jacksonville and I've already did my little research and there are some really great beaches there were you can lay on the sun and keep that gorgeous tan you got yourself back in Indonesia."

"Angela-"

"By the way, what you've been doing there since there is no beach to go or bones for you to play with?"

"Booth played the partner card and asked me to stay here for the next two days with him to help with the investigation, even if we didn't have an ID on the victim yet." Brennan explained.

"Hmm… seems like Mr. Stud want to have his partner to himself for a while." Angela smiled suggestively.

"What do you mean with that?" Brennan asked confused.

There was a sound of an explosion.

"Crap." Angela looked behind to see what was happening in the lab. "I guess Hodgins latest experiment didn't go well. Oh. I gotta go, Sweetie, Cam is already walking towards my hubby and she isn't in the best of the moods, I don't want any of his limbs damaged. Sweets will call you and Booth later to tell you more about the case." She was almost shutting off the call when she reminded something. "And buy that bikini I told you about. And a Brazilian cut one, not a grandma's. Someone will be very happy to see you in that." She winked. "Bye bye."

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"_Undercover_?" Brennan and Booth asked at the same time, although, none of them looked really happy about it.

"Yes, there is going to be a wedding next Sunday, one of the teachers of Jacksonville University is getting married and most of the docent body will attend. It will be a good opportunity for you to try to get information about Ms. Pennington and find out if there was anything weird going on with her lately." Sweets explained.

"Can't we just interrogate them like we do with everyone else?" Booth said.

"Agent Booth, you know people are more open about subjects when they are not posing as a murder suspect." Sweets said. "I don't know why you guys seem so against the idea of going undercover, you used to love those things."

"It just seems useless." Brennan shrugged.

"John O'Hara, he's the guy getting married, was already informed about what happened and accepted to help us. You're going as David Hanson, his childhood friend, and Emily, his wife." Sweets noticed the discomfort in the partners face when they found out they would have to go undercover as a married couple. "David is also a teacher and Emily works as a doctor."

"What kind of doctor?" Brennan wanted to know.

"I don't know, Dr. Brennan, whatever you want to be, that's not what really matters." Sweets made a face. "A cardiologist, that's it, you can be a cardiologist."

Brennan felt her stomach flipping inside her body. The last thing she wanted to hear about were cardiologists, much less _pretend_ to be one.

"Why a cardiologist?" She asked with disgust in her face, as if Sweets were suggesting for her to pretend to be a stripper and actually do a little show at the wedding.

"It was the first that came to my mind, Dr. Brennan." Sweets sighed. "Like I said, it doesn't really matter, you can chose whatever specialty you want to have."

"Then I'll be an orthopedist." She snorted. "It's much more like my real career, therefore, I'll be more able to act more realistic."

"Fine, Dr. Brennan. It makes sense."

"Of course it makes sense. I have no idea why you didn't think of it first. A _cardiologist_..."

"Anyway, you'll be staying in a flat rented by the FBI in Jacksonville." Sweets informed them. "Good luck at the wedding."

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**I have the whole idea of the next chapter in my head, so… when it will be published just depends on your reviews! ;)**


	6. The Partners in Disguise

**Thanks for all the reviews and story alerts! Seems like I'm not the only one who loooooooves Booth and Brennan going undercover! =D**

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"Booth, hi!" A surprise Camille greeted him on the screen.

"Hey, Cam." He greeted her back, using his webcam image on the laptop monitor as a mirror and trying to knot his bowtie.

"You look fancy." She said with a wicked grin.

"I'm going to a wedding party." Booth said. "Sweets convinced a teacher from the same University where our victim worked to help us, so, we are going undercover."

"Oh, nice." Cam nodded her head. "Have fun. You and Dr. Brennan seem to enjoy undercover work. And so do us." She added remembering when they went undercover to the circus. "Oh yes, we really do." She laughed. "Wait, what are you doing with Dr. Brennan's laptop?"

"Bones is finishing getting ready in the bedroom and she lent me her laptop to send a message to Parker. Since she's using the bathroom to do all those 'frivolities women do when they go to a party, such as make up and hairdo', in her words, I'm using her webcam as a mirror." He explained. "Do you have any update on the case?"

"Yes, that's why I called. Wendell found marks on the skull that show our victim was beaten to death, now Angela is running some possibilities of murder weapon on the Angelatron." Cam told him. "Are you and Brennan sharing a flat?" She asked mischievously, trying to peek on how the flat looked like.

"The FBI put us here, it's cheaper than renting two flats or booking two rooms at a hotel." He noticed the smirk on her face. "It's two bedrooms, Cam, don't look at me like that."

"What? How am I looking at you?" She feigned innocence.

"Like I would take this as an opportunity to do something inappropriate with Bones." He narrowed his eyes. "For your information, I'm seeing someone."

"You are?" Cam knitted her eyebrows surprised.

"Yep." He tried to straighten his bowtie again. He could never get that thing right. "Her name is Linda. She's nice."

"So you are over Brennan?" Cam raised one eyebrow doubtfully.

"You know, Cam, sometimes you have to settle for second best." He said resigned. It would be useless to lie to Cam. She was his best friend for a long time, he didn't have reasons to hide the truth from her. She would know anyway. He suspected she knew about his feelings from Brennan even when they were together.

"I never took you as the kind of guy who would give up that easily, Seeley." She frowned.

"Give up easily, Camille? I did what you told me to do, I went with my heart, I told her how I felt and what did I get? One year at a war zone while Bones was digging up some old pals half a world away." He said starting to get annoyed. He was tired of all that. He gave his heart to Brennan and she stepped on it with a freaking sharp high heel. If that wasn't a message of how she felt about him, he didn't know what it was. He was doing what he had to do, he was moving on. Brennan didn't share his wishes for a future together, so, he had to lift his head and try another way. Linda was beautiful and smart, of course, she wasn't Bones, she didn't have her cute clueless to mundanities or her unique crystal blue eyes, but he enjoyed her company and maybe one day he could possibly even love her.

"Maybe that year away made her change her mind…" Cam suggested. It was sad seeing those two denying their feelings.

"Bones didn't change, Cam. If anything, she just got more crusty after all that time being surrounded only by squints." He said annoyed.

"And you have no idea about what got her in that sudden bad mood?" She pursed her lips and looked at him as if she knew something he didn't.

"No." He said bluntly. "And you wanna know what? I gotta go. I'll tell Bones about the skulls marks."

And with that, he flipped off the computer. First Sweets, now Cam. _Would they ever leave him alone?_

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He had seen her dressed up several times before. Awards, dinner parties at the Jeffersonian, Angela and Hodgins' almost weddings… but when Brennan left her bedroom ready to go to the wedding that night, Booth thought he wouldn't be able to take his chin from the floor ever again. She was so beautiful. No, scratch that, she was _stunning._

Wearing a long strapless dress the color of champagne, Brennan looked at her partner staring at her with a goofy face. Was there something in her hair? She brought her hands up to touch delicately the perfect bun tied on her neck, making her bangs, brushed to the side, balance with the movement.

"Booth?" She frowned. "Is there something in my face?"

"What?" Her words brought him back to reality. _Oh_. He finally understood her question. _Only your gorgeous blue eyes… and your cute snub nose… and that mouth… Oh, God, Seeley Booth! "_No! Why are you asking?"

"You're looking at me with this goofy expression." She said confused.

"Ah." He smiled. He couldn't tell her he was just drooling over her beauty. So, he had to choose the alternative he had: tease. "I was just trying to figure out how you put that dress on your bag. You wrapped it up and shoved it into that boot too? Because that would be kind of weird, Bones."

"Of course not, Booth. I had no idea we were going to a wedding, why would I bring a dress?" She squinted. _Booth could be quite slow sometimes_, she thought.

"I don't know, Bones, woman usually take their entire closet with them when they travel." He shrugged.

"Well, not me." She said. "I bought it yesterday after Sweets informed us we had to go undercover and you went to the FBI to confirm the address we would stay here in Jacksonville. I don't think it would be appropriate for me to go to a wedding wearing jeans and gum boots."

She smiled and Booth just thought she was even more beautiful when she smiled.

"It definitely wouldn't." He smiled back and stepped closer to her. "You look beautiful."

It was out. He _had_ to say it. It was bigger than him.

Brennan blushed with the blunt compliment. She wasn't expecting it. Not that she didn't want it, during all the time she spent doing her hair and makeup she couldn't help wondering what would Booth think when he saw her.

"Thank you." She said shyly. _Did he just make Temperance Brennan blush?_ Yes, he did. His body was filled with confidence. Maybe going to that wedding wouldn't be that bad after all. "You also look quite good."

"Thanks, Bones." He opened his best charm smile.

"Except-" She narrowed her eyes and took a step forward, standing right in front of him. Her perfume invaded his nostrils and Booth felt his heart flipping inside his chest. What the hell was she doing?

Brennan lifted her hands and straightened his bowtie. Booth swallowed hard when her hand brushed his neck. She smiled when she was done with her work.

"Now, yes, it's perfect. It's about time for you to learn how to knot a bowtie, Booth." She commented. When she lifted her head, she realized how close they were and how intimate she was acting with him. _Way too intimate._

Brennan took a step back uncomfortable. "I'm- going to get my purse."

One second later, Brennan had disappeared inside the bedroom.

"What's that?" She asked when she left the room for the second time and saw Booth holding a velvet box.

"Our wedding rings." He told her.

"Will we have to wear them?" She grimaced.

"Yeah, Bones, it's kind of a married couples' thing."

"Where did you get them?" She asked curiously.

"I- I got them at the FBI." He lied. He couldn't tell her they were the same ones they used at her high school reunion. He couldn't tell her he wasn't able to give them back to the FBI that time.

"Okay." She accepted his explanation. _All for work, right?_

Without asking, he took her left hand in his and put the ring on the ring finger. Brennan looked at him surprised, but didn't say anything. The situation was already way too awkward without her contribution.

"Are you ready, Mrs. Hanson?" He opened a playful smile, trying to easy the sudden tension.

She nodded her head and smiled at him. "Are you?"

"Yep." He took his suit from the chair and walked to the door. "We better go then, we can't be late."

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**Wanna see Mr and Mrs. Hanson at the wedding reception? Then… you know what to do, right? ;)**

**Click on that super cute blue button below and tell me what you thought about this one. And maybe, **_**maybe**_**, if you ask **_**very**_** nicely, there might be some tongue contact in the next chapter. ;)**


	7. The Couple at the Party

**Oh my God! You have no idea how excited I am with all the good response this story is getting! =D. I'm so happy you guys are enjoying it so much! Really, thank you so much for taking your time and telling me what you thought about the chapter!**

**Everyone seems to **_**really**_** want to see Booth and Brennan exchanging saliva… and after all those awesome reviews there was nothing I could do but my best to give my dear amazing readers what they want. I hope it won't disappoint you. ;) **

**Now I'll stop rambling and let you read. ENJOY IT!**

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The wedding party had over three hundred people and Booth had to admit he'd never seen such a beautiful celebration in a long time. The couple getting married seemed so immensely happy and in love that he couldn't help wishing one day he would also have his happily ever after with the woman of his dreams.

His heart sank when he realized what he was thinking and whose hands he was grabbing while they approached the table where their seats were reserved. She looked incredibly gorgeous and had his ring on her left hand's finger. Except that, during that night, she was Emily and he was David, and none of that was real.

Booth found the table and pulled the seat for Brennan.

"Oh, look at that, Margot. There are still some gentlemen left in this world." He heard the slightly overweight woman in a purple dress comment to her friend.

"Hi, I'm David Hanson." He greeted the ladies. "And this is my wife, Emily."

"It's very nice to meet you." The woman in orange smiled at them. "I'm Margot Finn and this is my friend, Faith Hermann." She introduced herself and the other woman.

John O'Hara agreed to place them in the same table as his co-workers at the university. Hopefully they would get some useful information for the case through them.

Booth sat on the chair next to Brennan, who was staring unsurely at the women's outfit. Both were so bright and orange and purple that she wondered if they might had mistaken the wedding party for a Halloween one.

"Are you friends with the groom or the bride?" Margot wanted to know.

"Groom." Booth quickly answered and recalled the history he and Brennan made up on their way to the party. "Childhood friends. John and I grew up in the same neighborhood in Philly. Good old times."

"Professor O'Hara is a nice man. He and Sarah are a perfect match." Faith looked at the recently married couple and grinned.

"They seem really happy." Brennan agreed.

"John told me you work at a university." Booth decided to bring up the subject. "I'm also a teacher, he said I would like to get to know his co-workers."

"Oh, that's really sweet of him." Margot smiled. "What do you teach?"

"Sociology." He answered.

"That's nice, he looks very smart, doesn't he, Faith?" She nudged her friend.

"Yeah, he really does." Faith agreed.

"He's very intelligent." Brennan added without even thinking. "He's really good with people."

"I can see that." Margot looked at him and for a moment she wished she was thirty years younger and that he wasn't married. "I bet he has everyone down to his feet when he opens that charming smile of his."

"See, I told you you have a charming smile." Brennan chuckled and looked at his handsome face.

"Yeah, but the best of them is reserved just for you." He opened said smile to her when he said it. That was all in character, of course. _Or maybe not_.

"Oh! Look at them, Margot. Aren't they _adoooorable_?" Faith brought her right hand to her heart and sighed, a goofy grin on her face. She missed her Peter so much.

"They surely are, Faith." Margot nodded and Brennan twisted in her seat uncomfortable. It was irrational to feel like that. If those women thought they looked adorable it meant they were doing a good job keeping their covers. She should feel more confident, not more nervous.

"So, you also work at Jacksonville University, right?" Brennan asked, willing to take the focus out of her and Booth.

"Yeah, I teach Organic Chemistry and Margot teaches Russian Literature." Faith told her proudly and shoved a canapé into her mouth. It was delicious. She knew it was a great idea to bring that plastic bag inside her purse to take some sweets from the wedding. She bet they would be just as good.

"A friend of mine also used to work there." Brennan said. "Eliza Pennington, do you know her?"

"You were friends with Eliza?" Margot creased her eyebrow a little surprised by that information.

"Yes…" Brennan glanced at Booth. Of course he would also have caught the odd reaction. "Why are you asking it like that?"

"Oh, nothing." Margot quickly said. "I was just surprised to hear that because Professor Pennington isn't really the kind of person who seems to have a lot of friends…"

They were getting something there.

"Is there any animosity against her at the University?" Brennan wanted to know.

"No… no one has anything against her, she just isn't very much the people's person kind of woman, you know what I mean?" Margot narrowed her eyes. "She goes there, does her job and goes home."

"I met her some years ago in Seattle, David was giving a lecture there and we ended up chatting. I'm an orthopedist, but I always loved ancient history." Brennan explained.

"It's been a while since we've saw Professor Pennington, right, Faith?'

"Hm-hmm." The woman in purple confirmed nodding her head and swallowed the snack she was chewing. "Darley told me she took a vacation. Healthy issues or something, I didn't pay that much of attention."

"Darley?" Booth asked.

"Professor Darley. He's the university's headmaster." Faint told him and Booth made a mental note to check the man later.

"Oh, look, Faith! Cameron's kids are huge… I feel like it was only yesterday when they would annoy us asking to take them for a walk on the backyard while Cameron and Julie were giving classes." Margot said and the partners knew their questioning about the murder victim with those two ladies had to end there if they wanted to keep their cover.

"I'm gonna get something to drink." Booth told Brennan and stood up. "Would you like something?"

"Champagne, please." She asked.

"A glass of champagne coming your way." He smiled at her before turning away to walk to the bar.

"I wish I had someone looking at me like that." Faith sighed dramatically as she watched the scene.

"Like what?" Brennan asked puzzled.

"The way your husband looks at you. It's obvious he _adores_ you." She smiled knowingly. "When he talks to you, you're like the only thing he can see. His eyes sparkle. It's a beautiful thing you guys have there. You're a lucky girl."

"I guess I am…" Brennan tried to smile and exhaled thoughtfully. _Did he really look at her differently than he looked at other woman?_

_No... Booth was probably just a very good actor. He had Linda, after all...  
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Brennan was taking a sip from her third glass of champagne and staring at the band playing some old ballad when she felt Booth leaning down to whisper on her ear.

"We should go dance."

"_Why_?" She knitted her eyebrows. The last time they danced together was at her high school reunion.

"Because that's what every other couple in the party is doing at the moment and I really would like an excuse to stop the chat with those two ladies over there." He pointed at Margot and Faith fishing pictures from their purses. "If I hear they telling me another anecdote about their adorable cats I'm gonna shoot myself." He murmured.

"Shooting yourself wouldn't be a good idea, Booth." She chuckled.

"Then you better dance with me, because I'm not kidding." He said serious.

"It wouldn't help the investigation in any way if I had to take you to the hospital in case you had any chance to survive." She said thoughtfully.

"So, for the sake of the investigation, will you give me the honor of a dance, Mrs. Hanson?" He grinned, knowing he had convinced her.

How could she say '_no_' to that smile?

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "But if you step on my feet _once_ I'm coming back to this table and letting the cat ladies kill you out of boredom."

"_Deal_."

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Booth and Brennan were walking to the dancing floor when the groom climbed on the stage and took the microphone from the lead singer of the band.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today is the most amazing day of my life." John started. "Seven years ago I met the woman of my dreams and she asked me to give her a dance. _Kiss from a Rose_ was playing in this terrible bar we were, but I felt like it was the most beautiful moment I've ever had and when the song was over, we had the first of the many kisses we would share in the long journey of our lives. So, I would like to ask every couple in this party to dance to this ballad with us and at the end of the song, the guys can kisses their roses. Sarah, honey, I love you will all my heart."

"_That is the corniest thing I've ever heard in my life_." Brennan snorted.

"Come on, Bones, don't be such a killjoy, aren't you even a little bit romantic?" Booth teased her. "Let the poor guy express his love for his lady."

"There are better ways to do that. '_Kiss their roses_'? Really?" She made a disgusting face and he laughed. "I won't even tell you what image it brings to my mind to not shock your prude one."

"Come on, Bones, stop whining and let's dance, okay?" He said bringing her body closer to his.

Brennan gasped when she crashed into his hard chest. He wrapped his hands around her waist and her arms were around his neck before she would even think about what she was doing, like they knew it was where they belonged.

"I like this song." She commented as the ballad started playing.

"Good thing that I asked you to dance, then." He smiled and she felt her entire body melting. He was so beautiful when he smiled. She had to hold the urge to touch the cute dimple that appeared on his cheek.

As they swayed through the room, Brennan decided to play her character and leaned her head to the crook of his neck. _He smelled so good._ Surprised at first by her sudden proximity, such an unlikely thing for Bones to do, Booth decided to play along with her and enjoy that little moment of happiness, resting his face on the top of her head.

They danced like that for the rest of Seal's song, with eyes closed and just forgetting all the problems they would have to deal once they were back to real life. As the song went through its last chords, Brennan lifted her head and stared at him. Every other couple on the dance floor was locking lips.

Booth's eyes downed to her mouth and he caught her gaze. Brennan was breathing heavily and she hoped he wouldn't notice her breast going up and down faster than normal. She closed her eyes automatically when he started tilting his head down and touched her lips with his.

They were working undercover as a married couple. If they didn't want to raise suspicions about their real identities (there was a chance of the murder being at that party and the last thing they wanted was him or her finding out his or her victim had been found and the FBI was tracking him or her down), they couldn't be the only ones there that weren't kissing. It was part of their cover to do the same thing they were doing.

Although, Brennan wasn't sure if the fight of tongues they were managing at that moment was really necessary to keep their disguises. But she wouldn't be the one to ask about it. She realized she didn't mind it and couldn't help thinking how good it was to kiss her partner, who seemed as enthusiastic as she was as he devoured her mouth.

His hands ran up her back until they stopped at her cheeks, cupping her face tenderly as he slowly let go of her lips.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Booth realized they were the last ones on the dance floor.

"_We needed to keep our disguises_." He murmured almost out of breathe, as if he was explaining the reason why he kissed her, even though she was being as much as an active participant on it as he was.

"I know." She nodded and started to release herself from his grasp.

After an awkward moment, they decided to walk back to their table.

"What do we do now?" Brennan asked him.

"We'll try to find anything else we can about Eliza Pennington." Booth informed her. "And tomorrow we'll pay a visit to a certain headmaster called Professor Darley."

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**So… was it worth it? ;)**

**More to come soon…**

**And yes… this weird noise you're hearing in your left ear is that little reply button bellow begging you to click on it. Come on, don't make the poor thing sad. :(**


	8. The Interrogation at the University

**I didn't have time to reply everyone who reviewed last chapter but I want to say I LOVED them all. You are the best! Thank you SO MUCH!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bones and I don't know a thing about Jacksonville University, never even been there. All this is pure fiction.  
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"This University is at terrible conditions." Brennan wrinkled her nose as they passed an infiltrated wall on their way to the headmaster's office. They didn't mention their kiss at the party after it happened. Maybe because none of them wanted even more tension than the one they were already dealing at the moment with their partnership. As soon as they arrived back at the flat the night before, each one of them went to their own room and didn't leave until this morning. Interestingly enough, neither one of them looked like they had a good night of sleep. "I can't see how someone can actually _pay_ to study here."

"It's not like everyone has condition to study at high standards universities, Bones." Booth said.

"I know, but there are cheaper universities with better structures out there. I'm not saying the courses here aren't good, but looking at the way those buildings are abandoned I wonder where the money those students pay goes to." Brennan replied while lifting up her head to try to peek at one of the classes. There was one boy sleeping in one of the back seats and she felt a little better realizing she wasn't the only one with students asleep during her lectures. Maybe she wasn't _that_ boring after all.

"We are here." Booth said reading the plate on the door that said _Jeremy Darley, Headmaster._

A loud '_Come in'_ could be heard after he knocked at the door twice.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Darley." Booth greeted him in a professional tone. "I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"Dr. Temperance Brennan, what a bigger honor it is to have such an illustrious figure here in my office." Professor Darley said eyeing her up and down brazenly. Booth felt a huge urge to shoot him in both of his eyes, but remembered quickly enough that he was there to work, not to shoot a guy who was eating his partner alive with his eyes, even though it was very, very tempting.

"I'm not here visiting or making donations, Professor Darley, I'm here as a liaison for the FBI in order to help in a murder investigation. So, you can drop the unnecessary adulation." Brennan said bluntly. If there was something she couldn't stand was people who kissed her ass thinking they could get something from her with that. _In their dreams._

Booth couldn't help smiling at his partner dousing the man's obvious flirtation before he could even begin to show his charm. _Go, Bones!_

"Oh, Eliza, I suppose." He sighed.

"How do you know it's about her?" Booth asked suspiciously.

"I'm not stupid, Agent Booth. I'm the headmaster of this University-" Darley started saying, a bit annoyed with the agent's cockiness. He was pretty sure he didn't like the threatening gaze Booth was shooting at him.

"And you're doing a terrible job given the horrible conditions those buildings are at the moment." Brennan commented and Booth squeezed her arm lightly as saying that it was not the time or place to start complaining about the negligence of the structure of the university.

"- and being that, I'm aware of everything that happens in this school. Professor Pennington's maid came here about a week ago asking for her. Since we also didn't know anything about her whereabouts, we reported her vanish to the police. I heard a body was found in the road to Georgia and when I saw you here, I just made the most logical conclusion." He said. "I really lost my hopes… three weeks… poor Eliza…" He bitted his lips and shook his head sadly.

"Eliza? Did you have a personal relationship with her other than a professional one?" Booth wanted to know.

"No, our relationship was strictly professional. Eliza wasn't the kind of woman to let herself get involved with anyone in her life." He shared. "I won't say I never tried to take our relationship to another level, you probably know she was a very beautiful woman, in addition to being extremely smart. But she would never let me or anyone get anywhere in her personal life. We were good friends at work, but that was it."

"When was the last time you saw Ms. Pennington?" Booth asked.

"Hmm…" He thought for a moment. "About twenty-four days ago."

"And where were you on Friday night three weeks ago?"

"Are you suggesting I killed Eliza?" Darley asked offended.

"It's my job to question everyone who was involved with her in some level." Booth explained. "So?"

"I was at my farm." The headmaster told him. "My employees can confirm."

"We'll check." Booth told him and felt his cell phone buzzing at his pocket. "Excuse me, I have to answer this call."

Brennan looked at him curiously as he left her alone with Jeremy Darley and walked out the door to pick up the phone.

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"What made you decide to work with the FBI, Dr. Brennan?" Darley asked the forensic anthropologist once they were alone. "I'm pretty sure it's not because of what they pay you."

"I wanted to do more than just stay all day in the lab, but it's not like it's any of your business." Brennan let him known.

He smirked. That was a very interesting woman.

"I just wanted to know what made a very beautiful and intelligent woman work with something so dark and horrible like murders and mayhem." He shot her what he considered his best gallant gaze. Many women had fallen for those outstanding green eyes. Unfortunately for him, Temperance Brennan wasn't exactly like any other woman he met.

"My job allows me to give peace and justice to people who were victims to those horrible crimes, it's enough payment for me." She shrugged. _Where was Booth?_

"Makes sense." He nodded his head, not really understanding it. But he didn't really want to know about that. He was more interesting about another part of her life.

Booth came back to the office.

"Who was that?" Brennan demanded. It wasn't likely Booth to leave in the middle of an interrogatory to answer a phone call. It must have been something really important.

"It was Linda." He told her like it was nothing.

_What?_

"You left an interrogation to answer a call from your girlfriend?" Brennan couldn't believe what she's just heard.

"She was worried I hadn't talked to her for the past days. She thought something might had happened to me." Booth explained.

"You should have told her you're in the middle of an investigation and it takes most of your time, leaving you almost none to do such things as call mates." Brennan scolded.

"I did tell her, but you know how women are…"

"No, I don't." Brennan knitted her brows.

Darley coughed as remembering the partners they weren't alone.

"Mr. Darley, can you tell us anyone else who was close to Eliza Pennington?" Booth asked, leaving his focus from his grumpy partner to look at the man sitting in the chair in front of him.

"Like I said, Agent Booth, Eliza wouldn't allow anyone in her life. The closest person I know to her was one of her students, Amy James, she's a brilliant girl and Eliza was helping her in her dissertation. She probably knows more than I do." Darley said.

"Thanks, Mr. Darley. We'll keep in touch, in case we need your help again." Booth said and started turning around to leave.

"Dr. Brennan, wait…" Darley said and Brennan looked at him. "I know that since the investigation is still going and you'll have to stay here for a few more days, so I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me this week and, you know, maybe discuss about what do you think I can improve in my school and perhaps something more…?"

Booth had to take a deep breath. Was that ass really asking his partner out on a date?

"No, she can't." He answered before Brennan could open her mouth.

"_Booth_!" She exclaimed annoyed.

"You're _not _going out with him, Bones." He told her with a very serious look on his face.

"I think I can answer that myself." She huffed.

"We don't have time to start another discussion here, Bones." Booth grabbed her arm and started leading her out of the office. "Goodbye, Mr. Darley. Have a good day."

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**I know this chapter wasn't the biggest or the most interesting, but filler chapters are needed and I think this one is good after the last one. We can't get only B&B in a story and I'm trying to make this one have a case.**

**The next chapter is almost completely written and all B&B, and I have to tell you I had a LOT of fun writing it. Lots and lots of bickering. =D  
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**Did I make you curious? ;)**

**I hope I did!**

**So review so I can post it soon!**


	9. The Fight between the Friends

**There weren't a lot of reviews in the last chapter but I'll update anyway because, well, I just love you guys that much and I already had this chapter written… hehehehe**

**And I know filler chapters aren't people's favorite…  
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**I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it. There's nothing like Booth and Brennan jealousy and bickering!**

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"You had _no _rights to talk to the guy like that!" Brennan entered the car and slammed the door with all her strength.

Booth grimaced thinking about his poor Sequoia. His partner was definitely not in a good mood and was releasing her anger at the car. Well, he should be thankful she wasn't releasing it physically on _him_. At least the car couldn't feel pain. He knew she could be very strong when she wanted to.

"_What_? You wanted to go out with that piece of ass?" He wasn't in the best of the moods either. Just the idea of that meddlesome headmaster going out with _his_ Bones made him want to puke. So what he had a girlfriend and Brennan could go out with whoever she wanted? That didn't mean he would let her date a very probable jerk that would end up hurting her. Nope. No way.

_Or maybe, thinking about it, he just didn't like the idea of her exchanging saliva with any other man_. Whatever.

"No! But I can speak for myself! I don't need _you_ to decline dates for me, especially when I'm standing _right in front of_ the person asking me out!" She yelled, her face turning bright pink. _Stupid alpha male who thinks he knows better than anyone!_

"Oh, yes, you're really great at choosing your dates, aren't you, Bones?" He hit the steering wheel angrily. Right, now he was also releasing his madness at the car. He hoped his babe would survive that discussion. "I won't even _start _with that…" Yeah… seemed like she thought everyone was good enough to date her, _everyone but him._

"You think you can have a say about every man I go out with, but you don't even _bother _to tell me whether or not _you_ are dating!" She blurted out. It wasn't exactly her plan to bring up Linda into their fight, but it pissed her beyond words that he interrupted their work to answer the stupid cardiologist call. What could she probably have to tell him that was so important? She broke one of her perfectly manicured nails?

"So that's what this is about?" He turned his head to look at her, taking his eyes from the road for a second. It started to rain pretty hard on the outside. "This is about me and Linda?"

"You've been dating her for four months, Booth, four_ months_!" Her face got even flusher with the increase of the anger. "And you didn't take a minute of your precious time to tell me about it!"

"Why does it bother you so much? Who I go out with?" He demanded. It didn't make sense for her to act like that. It wasn't like_ she_ wanted him.

Booth was grateful they were in the car. It would be quite the show for people to watch if they were in a public place.

"Why do _you_ bother so much about _my_ dates?" She snapped back. Booth hadn't seemed Brennan so mad in a very long time. But somehow, he preferred this pissed off Brennan than the Brennan who was holding a grudge against him and not saying what was bothering her.

"Obviously because of your past relationships… I thought it would be a nice thing to look after my friend's safety." Booth said calmer.

His easy tone irritated her even more.

"No, Booth, it's not my safety you're worried about. You seem to enjoy spoiling _every single _date I have. Sometimes you even bring Sweets or Angela to help you to reach your goal." Brennan accused him.

"I'm sorry if I had to interrupt your dinner to arrest your date who was, what he was? Oh, yeah. _A murderer_." He looked at her with eyes wide opened when he said the word. "A murderer who cut off his own brother's _head_! Don't worry, Bones, next time I'll wait till he does the same to you before interrupting your _lovely_ chat." He snarled. Obviously he would never let someone touch even her fingernail if he suspected the guy could do her any harm. He would kill the jackass before he could even raise his hand to touch her. But Booth was mad at his partner now, so, he felt like threatening her with that. Who cared if it was childish? At least they were communicating.

"Even when I was with Sully, who you said was a good guy, you would found excuses to interrupt us every chance you got." She remembered, folding her arms on her chest and staring at the road, avoiding his face. The rain was getting harder and it was hard to see. She felt like the storm was reflecting their tempers at the moment.

"If it bothered you so much and you loved him like you make it seems you did, why didn't you go to the Caribbean with him, hmm, Bones?" He said sarcastically. He had the worst week of his life when he thought she would leave him to spend one whole year sailing through the paradise with his friend and doing a lot of things he'd rather not think about them doing. He really didn't need those images in his head.

"_God!_ You're so irritating!" She huffed and closed her eyes, exhaling all the air out of her longs at once. It was _really _great that they had more forty miles to drive until they arrived at the flat. All she wanted was two more hours locked inside the car with him.

A lightning stroke on the sky and there was a blackout on the road. It was only six pm, but it was already pretty dark.

Like their day wasn't going badly enough, Booth had to break and stop the car at the coasting of the road.

"We've got a flat tire!" He screamed so she could listen. "My cell phone is out of range and there's no way I can change it now!"

"I can't believe it." She stomped out of the car, the rain soaking both her and Booth from head to toes.

"There's a cottage down there." He pointed at a little cottage a few meters from where the car was parked. "Maybe we can wait there until the storm eases."

Brennan didn't answer him. Just because the universe was working against her it didn't mean she would talk to him right now. She was still pretty peeved at him at the moment.

"_Bones!_" He yelled as she started walking towards the cottage. "Could you please wait for me? There might be something- BONES!" He almost had to run to caught her.

At least after all those problems, Brennan didn't have to do much to open the door –although a part of her was hoping Booth would have to break it down with his own body, because well, that was _so damn hot_. _You're mad at him now, Temperance. MAD._ _You shouldn't think he's hot while you're mad at him._ She turned her head and watched him walking fast towards her, his white social shirt glued on his body because of the water, making those amazing muscles of him even more evident. _It's not like a have an _option _to not think he's hot, right?_

She entered the cottage. The small place was very dirty and completely abandoned, but it was better than they could ask for. _Anything _would be better than staying at that thunderstorm completely unsafe.

Brennan's sight caught the door at the end of the room and went for it before Booth closed the front door. She needed a moment alone. A moment to regain her composure.

After a few minutes sitting at the filthy floor and staring at nothing, Brennan decided to grab her phone and check if the signal was back. But two seconds later she remembered she left her phone in her purse, which happened to be inside the car.

"I have to go to the car to get my phone." She informed him, finally leaving the room.

_Okay. She's still mad at me._

"There's a storm going on outside, Bones." Booth said, not bothering to sound annoyed or nice, just stating the truth.

"Booth, the key." She reached her hands demanding the car's key.

"Bones…" He didn't want to give her the keys. Going out now could be dangerous. But how would he convince her _not _to leave? He knew her, she would probably just do the opposite of whatever he told her, just to annoy him.

Brennan saw the key lying on table covered with dust and took them before he could react and take them back.

"Bones, come back here!" He jumped out of the chair and followed her, who was already reaching the front door.

"Leave me alone, Booth! I'm really _not_ in the mood to talk to you." She spat. "Go make a better use of your time and annoy your perfect blonde girlfriend."

"She's not blon-" He said making a confused face.

But she was already out of the door, slamming it almost on his face.

"It's dangerous to go outside, you might get hurt!" He yelled watching his partner walk into the heavy rain.

_Stupid stubborn irritating beautiful woman!_ She would end up killing him. He had no doubts about it. One day, _she_ would be the reason of his death.

When Brennan was almost getting to the car, Booth noticed a huge branch about to fall from a tree and right into his partner's head.

With his heart jumping with the tragedy about to happen, he didn't think twice before running faster than he ever did and shoving her towards and away from the tree.

"BOOTH!" She screamed when she raised her head from the floor and realized what was happening.

But it was too late. He pushed Brennan away from the falling branch and saved her for a most likely death if it hit her head, but he wasn't fast enough to save himself.

In a matter of seconds, he was down to the floor, completely unconscious.

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**I know. I'm evil. Yep. You don't _have_ to tell me about it. I'm well aware of that fact.  
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**And you should know by now that besides evil, I'm also a reviews-whore. So, every time this story gets a review there's an increase of 2.47% in the chances of Booth making it and surviving the accident with minor injuries (or maybe majors… you tell me).**

**The next chapter isn't written yet so, you know what you have to do to encourage me to sit my butt here for the next couple of hours and write it, right? ;)**


	10. The Agent in Pain

**Wow, good to know no one wants anything bad to happen to Mr. Booth.**

**And okay, okay, I know I'm horrible and evil for hurting poor FB-Eye candy guy, but things like that are needed to get some fluffy scenes…**

**This chapter is dedicated to everyone who asked me to make Brennan take care of injured Booth and making them spend the night together at the cottage. :)**

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"BOOTH!" Brennan yelled, almost lying over him. "Come on, Booth! Wake up!"

She hated it_. Hated it._ It would be okay if it was the first time she was in that position, but unfortunately, she had been like that many times before, which didn't mean she would ever get used to that situation. Seeing her partner unconscious freaked her out.

"BOOTH! _Please_!" She begged and slapped his face lightly. The rain didn't feel any sympathy about them and kept falling hardly from the sky.

Booth started moving under her and she held a breath. _Thank God._

He squished his eyes before opening them slowly to watch a pair of striking blue eyes staring back at him. Drops of water fell from her hair and into his face and Booth wasn't sure if what was running down his partners cheeks were rain or tears. He was quite certain it was both.

Either way, he realized it wasn't a bad thing having her face as the first thing he saw after he was knocked out. The tears and the rain made her eyes look even more unbelievably blue. It wasn't something usual to see Dr. Temperance Brennan like that, all wet and in a mess.

Seeley Booth really appreciated that vision, though.

"Are you retarded or just plain stupid?" She finally opened her mouth to ask him, not sure if she should hug him or kill him for keeping acting like a hero.

"Whoa, you're welcome, Bones." He said, staying still underneath her body. He was strangely enjoying being there. "It was really my pleasure to save your life."

"No, it was a _very_ idiotic attitude." She creased her forehead and told him seriously. When would he understand she _didn't_ want him to keep trying to save her and getting hurt because of that?

"Would you rather to stay there under that tree with your genius brain squeezed under the branch?" He asked sarcastically. That woman was really infuriating.

"Yes." She answered right away, looking into his eyes.

"_What the hell_?" Booth wondered if she was being ironic or maybe trying to do a stupid joke, but all he could see in her eyes was honesty.

"You have to stop trying to be a hero all the time, Booth! I don't want you risking your life like that every time you think I'm under any kind of harm!" She spat and poked his chest a little harder than she intended to do. He was stupid, she knew that, but he _did_ get hurt because of her, it wasn't a very nice thing to give him another bruise as a thank you. "Maybe the alpha male in you tells you you are invincible, but _you are not_, Booth! Next time you might not be that lucky!"

Brennan quivered remembering those cloud days in her life where she would be practically only a body working on automatic. When they told her her partner was dead because of the bullet he took and that was meant for her, Brennan saw her entire world falling apart. She really hoped she would never have to go through that ever again.

"You know this is all your fault, right? If you hadn't been so stubborn and went out of that door as a bullet and into a storm, I wouldn't have to follow you and save your life." _In her dreams she would blame him for that. _He raised his head a little bit when he said that, making their faces get really close.

"And if you didn't have your hero complex or had annoyed me so much, that wouldn't happen in the first place!" She said through gritted teeth, tilting her head down a little bit.

"Yeah, instead I would be taking your body to the MLI right now!" That was it. Their faces were one inch apart, but when she heard that, Brennan realized she allowed her emotions surpass her logic.

His words left her speechless. He really _had _saved her life. But she was so desperate when she saw him lying down unconscious at the floor because he tried to save her again that all she could do was want to kill him with her own bare hands for always putting himself in danger to make sure she was safe. She wasn't any kind of damsel in distress needing her knight in shining armor all the moment having to save her ass.

"Seeing you unconscious and vulnerable like that freak me out, Booth." Brennan admitted ashamed, leaving the angry tone on her voice behind and leaning back in a sitting position before Booth could stretch his arm and caress her face.

Booth frowned. He was enjoying having her lying over him.

"I wouldn't have to do that if you didn't get yourself into so many troubles." He smirked.

"I don't get in trouble very much." She knitted her brow.

"Oh, come on, Bones, who are you kidding? You're practically a trouble magnet!" He let out a laugh.

"I'm not." She grimaced.

"Oh, right. Serial killer trying to get your ass, gravedigger, voodoo guy, murderer who killed his brother taking you out on a date, crazy fans using your books as an inspiration to crimes in real life, jealous professor trying to screw you at court, insane woman trying to shoot you-"

"That was _your _fault." She reminded him. How could that woman think Booth loved her back then, anyway?

"Whatever." He shrugged. "What I mean, Bones, is that all that pretty much scream _trouble_ _magnet_ to me."

"Like you aren't one yourself." She rolled her eyes. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." He said trying to stand up. "I just fell when the branch hit me, but I don't think I got anything more serious than a couple of scratches and bruises."

"You collapsed, Booth. You have to go to the hospital to see if there's something on your brain." Brennan said worried.

"I'm fine, Bones." He assured her.

"You said the same after you fell on the ice skating rink and you remember how that one ended."

"I'm fiiiine, Bones!" He accepted the hand she reached out for him. "OUCH!"

"Yeah, you really look fine." She laughed sarcastically as he tried to stand on his foot. "Come here, lean on me. I think you broke your ankle."

"Are you going to let me lean on you?" He smirked.

"Yes, I don't think you'll be able to walk back to the cottage by yourself."

"Does it mean you're not mad at me anymore?" He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"No." She gave him a contempt gaze, but he noticed her lips twitching in what was probably a smile trying to appear.

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"Bones, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Booth looked at her unsure as she lifted the sheath of his pants to check his swollen ankle.

After leaving him safe inside the cottage, Brennan came back to the car to get the first aid kit Booth kept there. The rain didn't stop and they still didn't have any way to contact the car security, so she would have to do whatever she could with what she had in that kit.

"Of course I know." She answered and squinted to look at his legs. "You didn't nickname me 'Bones' only because it annoyed me, Booth. I _know _what I'm doing."

"_Oooooouch_, Bones!" He screamed when she squeezed the ankle. "_What the hell you are doing_?"

"Twisted ankle." She bitted her lips and looked at him sympathetically. "At least it's not broken."

"_Crap_." Booth grimaced as she putted a bandage around the wound.

"You know what this means, right?" She asked.

"What?"

"You probably won't be able to drive for like, the next three weeks… at least." She raised her eyes to look at him.

"Oh, great. Now I'm getting it." He let out a laugh and leaned back on the chair he was sitting. "You did all that in purpose so you could spend all those days driving!" He teased her.

"I did not!" She opened her mouth in an 'o' shape. "How can you possibly think I would do something like that, Booth?"

He chuckled.

"I was just teasing you, Bones." He smiled at her. "What are we going to do now?"

"Well… I don't think the storm is going to stop anytime soon." Brennan lifted her neck to look outside the window. "I guess we'll have to spend the night here."

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**Ah, I just started another post-finale multi-chapter fic. I know… it seems like I really can't have only one story on going… **

**It's very different from this one, much more drama but will definitely have a happy ending.**

**I would love if you checked it and tell me what you think. :)**

**The name is "What Was Left Unsaid" and you can find the link in my profile. **

**Oh, and don't worry, I won't abandon this one. ;)**


	11. The Admission in the Cottage

**I'm sorry for taking a whole week to update this… I know I said starting another story wouldn't change this, but I just got too excited about that one that this became a little neglected. :(**

**I'm really sorry.**

**I hope you'll like this chapter. ;)**

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"Bones... there's only one bed in here." Booth noticed and pointed at the dusty bed in the other side of the room with his head.

"I know. You can sleep there." Brennan said.

"No, I'll sleep here in the couch. You sleep in the bed." He said like there was no arguing about that. He was already lying in the couch and resting his injured leg at the edge of it. It wouldn't be_ that _bad.

"There's no need for idiotic chivalry, Booth. You're injured and you already have your back problem. I'll sleep on the couch, _you_ get the bed." She said in the same determinated tone.

"Wow, Bones, now you make me feel like an invalid." Booth said half offended, half amused. _She looked so hot when she got all bossy._

"That's the truth, Booth, if there was a wheelchair here, you would be on it till we could take you to the hospital." She creased her forehead and looked at his twisted ankle, getting more swollen every minute that passed. "That will be the size of your head by the morning." She made a face.

"Thank you for the encouragement, Bones. Now I'm really feeling better." He said ironically and twisted his face when he tried to move his feet and a terrible pain ran thorough his body.

"Don't move, it will be worse." She told him. There was no medicine there to easy his pain and she felt really sorry for her partner. "There's still no phone signal, how do you think we'll be able to leave here?" Brennan asked concerned.

"The car has a chip. They'll track us down once they noticed we didn't send a report about the investigation today." Booth explained. "They'll probably find us by the morning."

"We need to eat." She said and her stomach reacted fast at the mention of food. "Do you have anything eatable in the car?"

"There are some snacks I keep there in case I have to spend many hours in a stake out." He told her. "It's not the most delicious things and I would really enjoy a juicy burger right now, but that will do it for now."

"Okay, I'll go get them." Brennan stood up from the chair and walked towards the door.

"Be careful, Bones!" Booth screamed, but she was already out of the door.

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"You're gonna get sick if you don't change those clothes." Booth told her when she came back from the car bringing a bag of snacks, his backpack and her purse, her hair and clothes even more soaked than before.

"I didn't bring anything else." She told him and he gave her a smirk. "And no, I'm not going to stand here only in my underwear, Booth, even though I'm sure you'd appreciate that." She teased.

Booth blushed. It was not what he was trying to suggest and now she put the image of her only in her underwear in his mind. _Thanks a lot, Bones, that's all that I needed._

"I was not-" He shook his head trying to take that image away. "I was about to say I have a shirt on my backpack in case I needed it. You can wear it."

"But you're also pretty wet." She reminded him. The fact that she could see all his muscles through his shirt was making her stomach twist inside her body. Why did he have to have such perfectly symmetrical body and very definite muscles?

_Why did he have to find another woman?_

_Why did he have to draw that stupid line?_

_Why did she say no to him that day when he wanted to give them a try?_

"I can stay shirtless." He shrugged. "I don't mind."

Brennan swallowed_. Oh, yeah._ He really didn't mind. If he in his shirt made her feel that way already, she didn't want to think how things would be when he was there, lying on that couch with his bare chest.

_Temperance, focus! _

"Okay… if you say so… these clothes are really quite uncomfortable at the moment." She agreed and he threw one of his FBI shirts at her.

Brennan grabbed it and entered the only other room in the cottage, taking her time to change the clothes and try to recover herself and not think about her hot partner half naked in the other room.

She pulled the shirt over her head and realized it smelled deliciously like Booth. It was huge for her, but it still ended up above her knees.

"Whoa, I don't think that shirt never looked so good in anyone else." Booth hissed when she left the room.

"It's three times bigger than my size, Booth." Brennan creased her forehead.

_She looked gorgeous_, he thought. No makeup, her hair in a complete mess and wearing nothing but his t-shirt. _Being locked up in a cottage with a twisted ankle wasn't that bad after all…_

"Still, it looks pretty nice." He shot her his charm smile.

Brennan blushed and tried to cover as much of her body as she could.

"I'll see what I can do for us to eat with those things you had at the car."

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"Come on, Bones. There's no need for you to sleep on the couch." Booth said as he noticed her moving in the small couch. It got chilly during the night and there weren't any blankets for them to cover themselves. "This bed is large enough for both of us."

"I won't share a bed with you, Booth." She answered.

"Why not?"

"It's not appropriated." She said dryly. "I highly doubt your girlfriend would appreciate that."

"We are in the middle of nowhere, Bones! I don't think Linda would mind you sleeping with me in this circumstances." Booth said. It wasn't even like Linda was his girlfriend… they were just… having some fun, nothing really serious. "Besides, it's not like we never shared a bed before."

"I'm fine." She assured him.

"_Dammit, Bones_! Why do you have to be so stubborn? I can hear your teeth chattering from here!" He rolled his eyes.

"That's very improbable." Brennan said, rubbing her arms trying to warm them up. She wouldn't mind going to that bed and having _Booth_ warming her up. But she didn't know what she would do if they ended up in that position.

"Bones, I don't want you to get sick. I promise I won't bite you." He smiled. "Come here."

She looked at him for a moment thinking. _She could do it, right? She was a strong woman who could control her urges, wasn't she?_

"_Fine_. But if you touch me, I'm coming back to this couch." She warned him and stood up.

"Noted. I already have one twisted ankle, Bones. I'll make sure all my other limbs won't suffer any other damaged."

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"Do you think we'll ever be the same again?" She asked him in almost a whisper half an hour after she lied next to him in the bed. Both of them had their eyes closed, but none had fallen asleep yet.

"What do you mean with that, Bones?" Booth opened his eyes and looked at her puzzled. "We are just like before. We bicker about everything and we solve our cases. I don't see any changes."

"You know things are different." Brennan said sadly, avoiding his eyes and trying hard not to reach her arms to touch his bare torso.

"I never expected them not to be. We spent a year apart, you, more than anyone, should know that it's impossible for things _not_ to change after that." Booth explained.

"I hate fighting with you." She admitted shyly and raised her eyes to look at him. Booth noticed they were teary.

"Oh, Bones, you know I hate that more than anything as well." He said and pulled her in a hug before he could remember her warning of not daring to touch her. "Oh, sorry, do I have to worry about my other ankle?" He joked when he remembered it.

She chuckled against him chest and hugged him tighter. "I'll let you go with this one."

"Good." He smiled and snuggled with her. _Damn, why did he have to love it so much having her in his arms?_

"_Booth?_" She asked after a long moment of silence, still not releasing herself from his embrace. It was_ way_ too good and she realized she was not as strong as she thought she was.

"What, Bones?" He said sleepy.

"I don't want you to move on".

And with that, she closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep.

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**Review, please!**


	12. The Question in the End

**I'm sorry, so, so sorry for not updating in almost a month… But I promise this story will have an end. I don't really have an excuse for the lack of updates other than I've been writing my other story.**

**I know, it's horrible, it's like choosing one of your kids instead of the other.**

**But I did not forget this one!

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"Bones, I'd like to arrive at the Amy James' house before my grandkids' birth." Booth said ironically. The FBI arrived at the cottage to rescue them at the early morning and now Brennan was driving them to interrogate the girl who was supposedly the closest person to Eliza Pennington before her death.

Booth was so surprised with Brennan's statement the night before that he didn't find the words nor had the guts to push that conversation further. Not that it would have worked, Brennan fell asleep in his arms – and he thought nothing ever felt so good – right after she spoke the words. But he knew better this time; he knew he couldn't push Brennan. He had to let her work at her feelings in her own speed. Although, he couldn't be happier that she finally started to realize what they were and that she didn't like seeing him dating other women.

"Booth, I'm pretty sure you won't have grandchildren anytime soon since Parker is merely 10 years old and it's highly unlike that he'll start procreating right now." She said, not bothering to drive faster. She loved staying behind the wheel. She felt so… powerful.

"Can't you just drive a little faster? I'm getting bored in here." He whined like a six-year old boy.

"See how boring it is to be the passenger?" Brennan said. "Don't worry, Booth, we are almost there."

"You said the same thing thirty minutes ago." _Did he sound like Parker to her as much as he did to his own ears?_ He hoped not.

"And we were, but now we are really only three miles away. Just stay there and wait." She

"Like I could go anywhere else…" He groaned.

Brennan took a glimpse at him.

"You sound just like Parker."

_Damn._

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"Professor Pennington is dead?" Booth noticed the sincere shock in Amy's face when they informed her about Eliza's death.

"I'm afraid so." He confirmed, leaning his body to his left side and resting his weight on the crutch he got at the hospital that morning. He would have to spend two entire weeks with a cast on his foot.

Only God knew how long he was going to handle that.

"I really thought it was weird when I didn't hear from her for such a long time, but I know Professor Pennington used to travel a lot for work and I thought that might have been it." Amy let her body fall on the couch. "God, how will I finish my dissertation now?"

"Ms. James, can you tell if there was anything suspicious happening on Mrs. Pennington's life?" Brennan asked.

"No, I mean, she wasn't a very social person, you know?" She told them, still not able to believe in what she just heard. "She was the best in what she did and an incredible professor, but work was really her whole life. She wouldn't let anyone get involved with her, once I dared to ask her why and her only answer was that people always ended up suffering when they entered a relationship of any kind, so she preferred to avoid that." Amy pursed her lips. "I felt pity for her, though. She seemed very lonely."

"And there wasn't anything else happening?_ Enemies_?" Booth tried. There had to be something. "A student mad about a grade…?"

"No, Professor Pennington was always very fair with everyone when she gave the grades." Amy said and then her mouth hang opened. "Wait. There was someone who had been fighting with her for a couple of months while she was tutoring me."

"Who?" Brennan couldn't wait for her answer.

"Like I said, Professor Pennington was a very honest person and I guess she disagreed about something regarding the university with Mr. Darley, because I caught them in a very heated discussion one day when I went to meet her for one of our weekly meetings."

"Mr. Darley?" Brennan and Booth shared a suspicious gaze.

"Yes, should be something about the administration of the university, you might have noticed how bad the buildings are…"

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"It was him!" Booth hit the dashboard when they entered the car. "_That asshole!_"

"Booth, we still have no proof it was Mr. Darley who murdered Eliza Pennington." Brennan said.

"Didn't you hear that girl, Bones?" Booth asked. "It's obvious it's him. Eliza found out he was diverting money from the university for his own bank account, told him to stop and when he didn't, she threatened to denunciate him to the superiors. Not willing to lose his best source of income, he decided to take her out of his way."

"It's a possibility, but you confirmed his alibi with his employees this morning." She reminded him.

"He could have bribed them." Booth said. "It's him, Bones. All we need to do now is found enough evidence to prove that."

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"You were right." Brennan said when they came back to the apartment later that night, after arresting Jeremy Darley under the accusation of the murder of Eliza Pennington. The FBI made a background on the man and then checked his latest finances and found out he was stealing money from the university. Later, Booth himself interrogated some of his employees at the farm and a boy confirmed Mr. Darley gave them money to lie to the police, but that he - the boy - wasn't feeling good about that. After that, it didn't take long for the squints to link the evidences found at the body to the headmaster.

"You should know to never doubt my guts, Bones." Booth said cockily. He was glad they sent another creep to the jail, but inside, he was a bit sad they would have to come back to DC. He didn't mind sharing that apartment with Bones.

Brennan's expression suddenly became one of a shock when something came back to her mind.

"_Bones, I knew, right from the beginning."_

If his statement about his guts was right, then he still believed in what he had told her that night. That they were meant for each other. That they belonged together. That he knew they were supposed to spend the rest of their lives together.

"They are really always right?" She asked him unsure.

"Yeah, pretty much always, Bones…" Booth creased his forehead. That wasn't a Bones-like question. Usually she would just say that "guts cannot think and bla bla bla""Why are you asking?"

"Am I like her?" The question came out bluntly. She wanted to know. She _needed_ to know.

"Like who?" _What the hell was she trying to say?_

"The victim. Eliza." Brennan murmured and looked down at the floor before raising her head to look at him. "Her job was her whole life and she didn't let herself get involved with anyone."

Booth noticed the sadness in her voice and felt an urge to hug her.

"I don't want to be like that." She said, a single tear falling down her face.

"Of course you're not like her, Bones." Booth said right away. Nothing hurt him more than seeing Bones sad. And he knew Brennan was everything but a heartless person. As much as she tried to not get involved with the victims, sometimes she just couldn't hide how much some of the murders hit her. "You have your friends, you have me."

"Do I?" She raised her head to look right into him.

"Yeah, Bones. You kidding me? You'll always have me." He said without a hint of a doubt. No matter what happened, he knew he would never abandon her, like many people have done before. She might not have wanted his love, but she would always be his best friend.

"We've been different, Booth." She sighed. "Since that day I rejected your offering of giving us a shot, things changed."

"They can change again." He looked back at her, feeling his heart beating faster inside his chest.

"No, they can't. You have Linda now, remember?" She sounded hurt when she spoke the words.

"We were never serious, Bones." Booth admitted. "And I broke up with her three days ago."

"You did?" Brennan raised one eyebrow, hope starting to grow inside her chest.

"Yes, that was why she was calling me yesterday, she wanted to give us another try." Booth explained.

"And you didn't want to?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I thought I could move on, Bones. But I can't." He sighed. "I tried with Catherine, I tried with Linda. They were both very beautiful, successful, funny, wonderful woman, but I just couldn't."

"Why?" She asked again, really curious and anxious about his answer for that.

"Because they were not you."

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"_**Oh, no, you evil thing!**_

_**You take almost a month to update and then you dare to end this chapter like THAT?"**_

**Ok… I know it was **_**not**_** a nice thing to do. I KNOW.**

**But this story will only have more one or two chapters, and I promise that if you guys are still interested in reading it, I'll post the next one soon.**

**So… are you interested?**


	13. The End of the Denial

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Brennan didn't say anything, she just stood there, staring at him and thinking about what she should do.

She wasn't expecting to hear that. When he told her he would move on and then came back from their sabbatical year with a 'girlfriend', Brennan really believed she'd lost him. Maybe that was why she figured out she didn't want him with anyone else after all. Isn't there a saying that says you only value what you had once you'd lost it?

Booth was staring at her while she let the information he just provided sink in in her brain. He knew she was thinking about her next step, but Booth didn't like Brennan super rational decisions about them. They usually didn't result in anything good for them. Almost dying waiting for what she had to say, he walked toward his partner until he was standing right in front of her.

"Won't you say anything?" He said, so close to her face that she could feel his breathe. _Damn, that man really knew how to drive off someone._

Brushing her face tenderly, he pulled away a streak of hair that was falling on her eyes.

"You shouldn't keep doing things like that, Booth, changing your life because of me." She answered, hoping her heart wouldn't jump out of her throat. She knew that it was scientifically impossible, but she was feeling very nervous at the moment. "It's not very clever."

"Are you going to reject me again?" He asked, but there wasn't any hint of bitterness in his voice, there was only a smile on his face when he leaned down his head a little bit to get even closer to her.

He _knew _he'd won that one.

"I thought you knew I'm very smart, Booth." She smirked and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I would never make the same mistake twice."

And just a second after that, they were kissing like their lives depended on that. Well, for a moment, Brennan actually thought they did. Feeling her heart beating like that wasn't something that happened often in her life. They wasn't sure who kissed who, it was more a meeting halfway kind of kiss. Similar to their first kiss, Booth thought. He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him.

Brennan didn't want to let him go. For the past year, there wasn't a day she didn't think about Booth and the reasons why she said '_no_' to him. The lonely nights in the Maluku Inlands showed her how much she missed her partner, how much she missed talking to him, how much she missed just seeing him. And right now, she was certain that nothing in the world would was bigger or more important than her _need _to be with that man.

_Her guy._

They were still smiling when they pulled away to breathe.

"Please, don't run." Booth said panting, his forehead resting on hers. "Please, Bones, don't run."

He pulled her even closer when he said that, which was practically impossible, since they were already pretty close.

"What are you talking about, Booth?" She leaned back to look at his face. Heck, it took her seven years to finally kiss him that way again. _Why on Earth would she run?_

"I'm just asking… no, scratch that… I'm _begging_. Don't run, Bones. Not this time._ Please_." He pleaded and took her hands. "I don't think I can handle it again."

"I'm not going anywhere." She told him confused. She didn't like seeing Booth scared like that.

"I know the pattern, Bones. I kiss you and you leave for one freaking year." He said a bit bitterly. That was what happened when they first kissed. After they solved the case in the following day, they fought and she promised to never work with him again. If he didn't make that trap at the airport one year later, he was pretty sure they would never see each other again. Then, when he finally took the courage to open himself to her again, five years later, the next month she was telling him she would spend the next year in an expedition in Indonesia.

He _really_ didn't like that.

"I have no reasons to run anymore." She caressed his cheeks with her thumb, her eyes never leaving his. "Believe me, Booth, the last thing I want at the moment is to be far away from you."

And after that, her mouth was on his again.

It didn't take long until they were heading to her bedroom – it was the master bedroom and Booth, as the gentleman he was, let her get that. Damn, they had been waiting seven years to spend a night together and neither of them was willing to waste more time.

"Booth, are you sure you want to do this?" Brennan let go of his mouth for a second to ask. "Your ankle…"

"Ankle?" He smirked and kissed her again. "What ankle?"

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"This bed… it's pretty nice, don't you think?" Booth said a couple of hours later, his partner resting her chin on his chest to look at him. "Nice to see that the FBI is investing well their money."

"Yeah, I don't think we can complain." She smirked, running her fingers down his torso. "You have such defined abdominal muscles, Booth. Very impressive."

"Some people call it the 'six pack.'" Booth smiled. "I had an intense exercising schedule in Afghanistan." Brennan kept moving her hands down his body. "Bones… what are you doing?" He gulped.

That woman was insatiable!

"Making an analysis of your body." She shot him a devilish smile.

"You won't 'analyze anything if you continue to touch me like that." He flipped over so she was underneath him, making her yelp in the process since she was not expecting the sudden movement. "You never get tired, Dr. Brennan?" He asked, kissing her neck.

"Uh-hum." She murmured, enjoying every sensation he could bring to her body. "Sometimes I can work 48-hours straight."

"_Work_?" He raised his head to look at her.

"And other things…" She smiled.

"You'll kill me." He chuckled. "You know that, right?"

"I wouldn't be pleased if such a thing happened." She murmured once he went back to what he was doing.

"Booth?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"Do we really have to come back to DC tomorrow?"

"This room is paid till the rest of the week." He said, kissing her shoulders. "It would be a big waste of the government money to come back before, don't you think?"

"I concur…" She grabbed his head and brought his face back to hers. "…vehemently."

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**THE END**

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**This wasn't exactly how I intended to finish this story when I first started writing it, it would be much longer and with a lot of more bumps in the road, but muse ended up going away from this one to my other story and I didn't want to leave this one unfinished, so, I hope it didn't disappoint you that much.**

**And if you missed reading an "I love you" from their parts… I just think they would need a little more time before that. Especially Brennan… let's not push the woman there, right?**

**One step at a time.**

**Thank you so much for everyone who read and reviewed this story! :)**


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